


Understanding

by extremelyperturbed



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A very short ficlet where Bella has a conversation with Will after Will is freed and Hannibal arrested.  A scene that I'd actually love to have as canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Understanding

“Can I help you?’ Will said to the woman standing in front of his door. He had considered not opening the door when he had looked through the peephole and saw who it was but curiosity got the better of him.

“I’m Bella Crawford. I came to say that I’m sorry for what happened to you,” she said. 

Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Did Jack send . . .”

“He didn’t . . . He doesn‘t know I‘m here. Can I come in?”

Will hesitated. “I really hope you’re not allergic to dogs.”

“I’m not,” she said, smiling.

After she came in and Will shut the door, the dogs sniffed the visitor but were well-trained enough not to bark or try to climb her like a tree. “I don’t see why you’re here since it’s not like you’re responsible for any of it.”

“In some ways, I think I am. I think that I’m part of the reason Jack acted the way he did.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I have lung cancer. It‘s stage four.”

Will pursued his lips into an ‘O’ of understanding. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That’s not the point, however. I think he did it because as long as he was focused on the Ripper, he didn’t have to think about what was happening to me. Maybe he thought that if he couldn‘t defeat Death in one battle, he could win it in another.”

Will shook his head. “Even if that’s true, it doesn’t make you responsible. It’s not like you’re responsible for what Doctor Lecter did.”

“I’m not married to him.”

There was the sound of the kettle whistling. Will went to the range and turned off the heat. “Want some coffee?”

“I’d love some.”

“Sugar? Milk?”

“Just a drop of milk.”

As they sat down at the table with a cup of coffee each, Bella said, “The thing with Jack is that when he focuses on something, he completely focuses on it. Even before my illness, he was focused on the Chesapeake Ripper to the point I felt . . . neglected. My sickness kicked his obsession up to Ahab chasing after Moby Dick type proportions.” 

“If you’re asking me to forgive him . . .”

“I can’t really ask that of you. I don’t know how bad that place was but I can guess that it was pretty bad.”

“It was. Lets leave it at that.” 

“Someone once told me that apologies should be offered in the spirit of not expecting anything back, that wanting something out of it just denigrated it to something like a commercial transaction, a cheat especially since the one apologizing already owed a great deal in the first place.”

“I think whoever said that was wise.”

“We haven’t really talked much before, have we?”

“Not really.”

“That’s too bad.”

“You didn’t miss much. I wasn’t terribly social even before I became the ’face of evil.’ And I really don’t trust people much nowadays.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m surprised that you’re talking to me.”

“I knew who you were and I figured you didn’t write for Tattlecrime.com,” Will snarked.

Bella chuckled at that. 

“Is it true?’ said Will.

“Is what true?”

“That Lecter was your psychiatrist, too.”

“Yes, but fortunately he actually behaved like a therapist with me.” Bella laughed uneasily. “I sometimes think what he could’ve done to me when I was vulnerable. I haven’t had another psychiatrist since then.”

“Same here. Besides, therapy never worked for me in the past so . . . Want another cup of coffee?”

Bella shook her head. “No, I get too wired if I drink too much on an empty stomach.” 

***  
“What did you do today?” said Jack.

Bella hesitated before saying, “I visited Will Graham.”

Jack frowned. “I hope that he wasn’t angry at you because of me. If he . . .”

“No, he was actually quite . . .” Bella searched for words. “Understanding.”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I'd actually love to see Bella interact with Will. Having characters mix with more characters on the show keeps a series interesting and fresh. Also, I think that having Lecter as a doctor in common and having life-threatening illnesses would give them more of an intimacy (I don't mean physical intimacy) than they would otherwise have. Also, both are at loose ends when it comes to having people to talk to.


End file.
